What does "after all we can do" mean? How many ways can that phrase be understood? In the 1960s and 1970s, the German translation of this verse in the Book of Mormon read, "in spite of all we can do," we are saved by grace. That translation has since been changed. The translation now says, "after all that we can do." This verse was probably changed to avoid a common misconception among some churches that our works will not matter—we can do whatever we want—as long as we accept the Savior.
As mentioned in the Notes for the previous Come Follow Me lesson, Jacob also said something similar in 2 Nephi 10:24, "Reconcile yourselves to the will of God, … and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved." Nephi seems to be paraphrasing and simplifying Jacob’s statement to make it plain. But Nephi most likely understood the doctrine of salvation by grace the same way that Jacob expressed it. "After all that we can do" would thus involve all that it takes for us to "reconcile [ourselves] to the will of God" and to be "reconciled unto God," as Jacob said, and as Nephi hopes to persuade all "to be reconciled to God" (25:23).
After that, it is not only "by grace" that we are saved, but also, as Jacob said, "in and through the grace of God" that we are saved. "By" seems to express the instrumental effect of God’s grace upon us. "In" would seem to express the interpersonal relationship with God and Christ in which the binding aspects of grace thrive. "Through" grace may inspire a sense of the enduring power of grace that persists through time and throughout all eternity.
Alma 24:11 also correlates well with 2 Nephi 25:23, which is imbedded in the Book of Mormon narrative of the Ammonites, who buried their weapons of war. Regarding their hope of being cleansed from their past wicked, murderous and sinful behavior, they stated:
[I]t has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind)
to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed,
and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do
to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain."
In other words, all we can do is turn to Christ and he will be there for us. What was all the Ammonites could do? They buried their weapons, they made a covenant, and they kept it. They refused to fight, even when they were attacked. They offered up their lives rather than fighting. Talk about enduring to the end! This was a deliberate calculation made by the Ammonites. Individually, in their own hearts, they knew and believed that they would be saved and redeemed from all of their problems, but after all they could do. And that turned out to be quite a lot for some of them. So, in our own trials we can look to this scripture as a beacon of hope. We will be free from our sorrows, regrets, burdens and trials after all we can do to turn to God in the midst of that trial.
Book of Mormon Central, "Why Does Nephi State that We Are Saved by Grace ‘After All We Can Do’? (2 Nephi 25:23)," KnoWhy 371 (October 10, 2017).